HoratioAtTheBridge
Villager
I've been working on a role playing game using Fate called Senjitsu Jidai: The Era of 1000 Realities. It's set in a warring states Japan, but instead of fighting over who is going to be shogun, the clans are fighting over who is going to define reality. Each clan has their own reality framework, and I've been writing about the clans for the last few months. I'm kind of happy with the work I've been doing and want to share. I bet there are a lot of other people out here who are working on cool things too, like cool character backstories, adventures, homebrew content, novels, short stories, or even new games. Care to give us a glimpse?
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History of the Asakura
Asakura Toshikage was an underground artist during the Oni Rebellion, whose pop-up works showed the people the possibilities of freedom by their creative reimaginings of reality. He spent most of the rebellion on the run from the forces of ASHIKAGA, putting up his works of art ever so slightly faster than the officials could take them down.
In the aftermath of the destruction of ASHIKAGA, Toshikage traveled to the valley of Ichidojani in Echizen province to found an artist commune. It was his vision that the most creative peoples of the age would gather together to explore impossible art and new visions of what reality could become. When fighting broke out between the forces of Yamana Sozen and Hosokawa Katsuko, he invited all of the creative types from Kyoto to take refuge in his commune. He set up hilltop forts on either side of the valley to keep watch for partisans, and walled off the north and south ends of the valley to protect the artists, writers, thespians, and craftspeople who had come to take refuge with him. Then he turned his attention inward to work on creating his artist’s utopia.
Toshikage’s heirs maintained the peace of Ichidojani over the next 100 years, mostly by fostering friendly relationships with the nearby Ikko-ikki. As a result the region was more peaceful than most of Japan for this period, attracting refugees from across the tumultuous Kansai region. The Asakura also maintained friendly relationships with the Revolutionary Council, though they tended to keep themselves out of the political side of things. With Oda Nobunaga’s rise to power, however, the Asakura are facing increased pressure to take an active part in events.
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Powers of the Asakura
The Asakura have created a reality where imagination is transmuted into life by the skill of an artist. An Asakura artist might draw an image of a flower, then draw it into existence to present to her beloved. A poet speaks a frog into existence that then plops into a pond, while a potter might enamel a vase with images of fauns and fairies who spring to life and dance at the first sound of a musician’s instrument. The basic power of the Asakura is “Art Incarnate,” which brings their creations to life. As the artist advances, they follow particular art schools and philosophies which can lead to extraordinary creations. Also, the Asakura are generally quite famous, and have learned to use that fame to their advantage.
Art Incarnate
The Asakura clan has developed techniques by which they can infuse their works of art with reality. A painter might sketch a vine on a wall, then pull the ink off the surface into a real plant that helps them to climb the building. A poet may speak barbed words to sling at her enemies. An actor may shelter behind a prop shield, imbuing it with such life that it shelters him from the blows of his foes.
There are fierce debates among the Asakura about the nature and meaning of art. For this artist, art is something which occurs in a fleeting moment. Each sunset is a unique beauty, and the cherry trees are beautiful for a time, but are just normal trees the rest of the year. Their art is meant to be experienced once, and then is gone. Sometimes this means that their art literally explodes. On the battlefield, they mix explosive chemicals into their materials and detonate their creations.
There are fierce debates among the Asakura about the nature and meaning of art. For this artist, art is something which lasts into future ages. The work of masters is displayed in museums and preserved in buildings for a thousand years or more. Beyond that, their work can become ingrained in the culture, lasting as long as humanity itself. On the battlefield, their creations fight with tenacity, and have enough self-possession to carry out orders on their own.
The artists of the Asakura frequently become renowned for their work. Their artwork travels the world ahead of them, winning the artist friends among people they have never met personally. A savvy artist learns to groom this reputation and leverage these relationships to advance their own causes.
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History of the Asakura
Asakura Toshikage was an underground artist during the Oni Rebellion, whose pop-up works showed the people the possibilities of freedom by their creative reimaginings of reality. He spent most of the rebellion on the run from the forces of ASHIKAGA, putting up his works of art ever so slightly faster than the officials could take them down.
In the aftermath of the destruction of ASHIKAGA, Toshikage traveled to the valley of Ichidojani in Echizen province to found an artist commune. It was his vision that the most creative peoples of the age would gather together to explore impossible art and new visions of what reality could become. When fighting broke out between the forces of Yamana Sozen and Hosokawa Katsuko, he invited all of the creative types from Kyoto to take refuge in his commune. He set up hilltop forts on either side of the valley to keep watch for partisans, and walled off the north and south ends of the valley to protect the artists, writers, thespians, and craftspeople who had come to take refuge with him. Then he turned his attention inward to work on creating his artist’s utopia.
Toshikage’s heirs maintained the peace of Ichidojani over the next 100 years, mostly by fostering friendly relationships with the nearby Ikko-ikki. As a result the region was more peaceful than most of Japan for this period, attracting refugees from across the tumultuous Kansai region. The Asakura also maintained friendly relationships with the Revolutionary Council, though they tended to keep themselves out of the political side of things. With Oda Nobunaga’s rise to power, however, the Asakura are facing increased pressure to take an active part in events.
-----------
Powers of the Asakura
The Asakura have created a reality where imagination is transmuted into life by the skill of an artist. An Asakura artist might draw an image of a flower, then draw it into existence to present to her beloved. A poet speaks a frog into existence that then plops into a pond, while a potter might enamel a vase with images of fauns and fairies who spring to life and dance at the first sound of a musician’s instrument. The basic power of the Asakura is “Art Incarnate,” which brings their creations to life. As the artist advances, they follow particular art schools and philosophies which can lead to extraordinary creations. Also, the Asakura are generally quite famous, and have learned to use that fame to their advantage.
Art Incarnate
The Asakura clan has developed techniques by which they can infuse their works of art with reality. A painter might sketch a vine on a wall, then pull the ink off the surface into a real plant that helps them to climb the building. A poet may speak barbed words to sling at her enemies. An actor may shelter behind a prop shield, imbuing it with such life that it shelters him from the blows of his foes.
- Prerequisites – None
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The artist may use Art for create advantage actions to create a tool, object, or plant in the physical world. These creations last for one scene and then dissolve into a puddle of ink, burst in a puff of air, or revert to their base nature, as appropriate.
- These artworks can include any inanimate object or plant life that may be no larger in any one dimension than 10 feet times the artist’s Art skill.
There are fierce debates among the Asakura about the nature and meaning of art. For this artist, art is something which occurs in a fleeting moment. Each sunset is a unique beauty, and the cherry trees are beautiful for a time, but are just normal trees the rest of the year. Their art is meant to be experienced once, and then is gone. Sometimes this means that their art literally explodes. On the battlefield, they mix explosive chemicals into their materials and detonate their creations.
- Prerequisites – Breathing Words, cannot have Art Endures
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The artist may attack with Art by detonating a minion created with Breathing Words. The Minion is destroyed by the attack.
- A Minion may be detonated anywhere within the line of sight of the artist, and may move one Zone before being detonated. Each minion sacrificed in the Attack, including the first, gives a +2 bonus to the Attack.
There are fierce debates among the Asakura about the nature and meaning of art. For this artist, art is something which lasts into future ages. The work of masters is displayed in museums and preserved in buildings for a thousand years or more. Beyond that, their work can become ingrained in the culture, lasting as long as humanity itself. On the battlefield, their creations fight with tenacity, and have enough self-possession to carry out orders on their own.
- Prerequisites – Breathing Words, cannot have Art Explodes
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- Minions created with Breathing Words last for a full day and can persist out of the line of sight of their creator. Such minions can carry out simple instructions.
- Instead of creating and controlling two Average minions, the artist can create a single Good Minion. This minion has one aspect, one Good (+3) skill, one Fair (+2) skill, and one Average (+1) skill. They have 3 Stress 1 point boxes and a -2 Consequence slot. It takes one action to create this Minion.
The artists of the Asakura frequently become renowned for their work. Their artwork travels the world ahead of them, winning the artist friends among people they have never met personally. A savvy artist learns to groom this reputation and leverage these relationships to advance their own causes.
- Prerequisites – None
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The artist may use Art in the place of Contacts for create advantage actions to find a useful person who would reasonably be among their network of fans and hangers on.
- The artist gains a bonus called Fame. It has a value of +2.
- The artist may apply their Fame bonus to create advantage actions with Art to find a useful person who would reasonably be among their network of fans and hangers on.
It's all part, of my outer space fantasy!
), and other widgets that player characters have access to that can be used to push the story and help the game play the way it's intended, without the things I don't like about games like Fate.
